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Major-General 
William Stark 
Rosecrans^ ^ ^* 

Hero of luka, ^ ^ 
Corinth and Stone 
River^ and Father of 
the Army of the ^ 
Cumberland* ^ ^ 



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BY L. W. MULHANE. 



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memorial of 
Itlajor-fiefieral UJmm $tm Rosecratts. 



Born In Kingston township, Delaware County, Ohio, 
Septemher 6, m^. 






Died m Rosecrans. near Cos Bnqm, California, 
march II, im. 



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PREFACE. 




HIS little sketch of the life of Major-General 
Rosecrans is compiled chiefly from current 
accounts of his life and from an acquaintance 
first formed in the house of his brother, 
Bishop Rosecrans of Columbus, Ohio. The author 
feels that "the present generation stands too close to 
the monument to take a just view of either its height 
or its beautiful proportions and that men shall have to 
get away from it a generation or two in order to under- 
stand its grand effect upon the surroundings, and the 
measure of its shadow"; and hence prints these few 
pages only as a tribute to his memory and a souvenir 
that may assist in keeping green the remembrance of 
the Christian warrior's noble life. 

L. W. MULHANE. 

Mt. Vernon, Ohio, March 31, 1898. 



(■ 



CONTENTS. 



Chaptp:r I — 

His Birth, Life and Death 9 

Chapter II — 

The Battle of Chickamauga 32 

Chapter HI— 

How He Missed the Presidency 45 

Chapter IV — 

His Conversion to the Catholic Church 48 

Chapter V — 

Tributes ." . 55 

Chapter VI — 

Notes and Anecdotes 65 

Chapter VII — 

Conclusion 75 



CHAPTER I. 




HIS BIRTH, LIFE AND DEATH. 

HE last survivor of Ohio's great military quar- 
tet, ^ — Grant and Sherman, Sheridan and 
Rosecrans, — has been summoned from earth 
and 

"The muftled drum's sad roll has beat 
The soldier's last tattoo." 

His war record is written on the pages of American 
history, and as time goes on will be brighter and 
greater and better known, when time-servers and 
applause-seekers have had their day. To those who 
had the pleasure and honor of knowing the old hero 
in the avenues of private life, the news of his death 
came accompanied by the one thought that 

"An empire is his sepulchre 
His epitaph is Fame." 

William Stark Rosecrans was born in Kingston 
Township, Delaware County, Ohio, September 6, 1810. 
The name Rosecrans, originally Rosenkrantz, is Dutch 
and means a Crown or Wreath of Roses. The paternal 
ancestors of the subject of this memorial were Dutch, 
coming to America from Amsterdam and settling in 
Pennsylvania near Wilkesbarre. In 1808, Crandall 

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Rosecrans moved to Ohio, locatino^ in King-ston 1 own- 
ship, Delaware County, near the Hne of Licking 
County. He was married to Jemima Hopkins, a rel- 
ative of Stephen Hopkins, Rhode Island's signer of 
tlie Declaration of Independence, of whom John Adams 
says: "The pleasantcst part of my labors for the fouri 
years I spent in Congress, from 1774 to 1778, was in 
the naval committee. Mr. Lee and Mr. Gasdsen were 
sensible men and very cheerful, but Gov. Hopkins; 
of Rhode Island, above 70 years of age, kept us all 
alive, l^pon business his experience and judgment 
were very useful." Hopkins is an Irish name and the 
ancestors of General Rosecrans' mother orieinallv 
came from Ireland; so that in his veins were mingled 
Dutch and Irish blood. His father, Crandall. was a 
Captain in one of General Harrison's light-horse bri- 
gades in our second war with England. He received 
his second name. Stark, in memory of the famous 
Revolutionary General Stark of New Hampshire, many 
of the people of that State having moved to Ohio, in 
the vicinity of General Rosecrans' birthplace. 

On December 5, 1894, the waiter of^ciated at the 
burial of an aged lady near Brandon, Knox County, 
not far from the Licking County line, and in his note 
book is the following entry: — "Death of Mrs. Hulda 
Collopy, aged 77. She was a granddaughter of the 
Revolutionary Chapmans of \>rmont and New Hamp-; 
shire. Her father served in the war of 1812. In her 
childhood days she was a schoolmate of General and 
Bishop Rosecrans. She became a Catholic on her 
deathbed, influenced all her life by the thought of these 

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two childhood companions embracing the Catholic 
Faith." 

When the future General was yet quite young, his 
father moved across to Licking County, taking up his 
residence in the village of Homer, and, for a number 
of years, managed the village tavern, at the same time 
following farming. 

William attended, for a few months of each year, at 
the log school-house of the village, acquiring the rudi- 
ments of education. About IS-V^, a Lancaster mer- 
chant, George Arnold, opened a general country store 
at L'tica, Licking County, a few miles from Homer, 
and young Rosecrans went into the store as a clerk. 
With him, associated as a clerk, was J. D. Martin, 
still living and a venerable citizen of Lancaster, Ohio. 
Arnold moved his store to Mansfield in the course of 
a year or two, Rosecrans accompanying him. One 
conversant with the facts says: "While at Mansfield 
young Rosecrans was the driver for T. W. Bartley, 
the future Supreme Court Judge of Ohio, on a trip to 
Columbus. He proved to be an intelligent and inter- 
esting talker and so pleased Bartley that he urged him 
to obtain an education." With this in view, Rosecrans 
and his father opened a correspondence with the Con- 
gressman from that district and finally he was success- 
ful in obtaining an appointment to West Point. Tn 
the mean time he had spent some time at Kenyon 
College, Gambler, near Mt. Vernon, preparing him- 
self for the West Point examination. "He entered that 
institution in 1837, and graduated in 1842, standing 
fifth in general merit and third in mathematics in a 

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class which included Long^srreet, \'an Dorn, AIcLavvs;, 
Lovell, R. H. Anderson and Gustavus Smith, after- 
ward of the Confederate Army ; and Pope, Doubleday; 
and Newton of the Union Army. He entered the ser-i 
vice as Brevet 2nd Lieutenant of Engineers, and afteir 
a year as Assistant Engineer, building fortifications 
at Hampton Roads, Mrginia, he returned to Westt 
Point in 18-13 as Assistant Professor of Engineering.! 
In 1847 he was again put in active sevice at P^ort 
Adams, Newport, Rhode Island, to superintend somei 
repairs on that fortification. April 1, 1854. he resigned, 




W. S. ROSECRANS, AS LIEUTENANT. 

being then First Lieutenant of Engineers, journeyed 
to Cincinnati, and began business as a consulting en- 
gineer and architect; but while he acquired an enviable | 
reputation in his profession, his earnings were scanty 

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In 1855 he took charge of the Cannel Coal Company, 
Coal River, West Virginia, becoming also, in I80G, 
president of the Coal River Navigation Company; and 
in 1857 he organized the Preston Coal Oil Company 
for the manufacture of kerosene. 

THE CIVIL WAR. 

At the beginning of the Civil War he volunteered 
as aide to Gen. George B. McClellan, who was then 
commanding the department of the Ohio, and assisted 
in organizing and equipping home guards. He was 
appointed chief engineer of Ohio, with the rank of 
colonel, on June 9, 1861, and on June 10 was made 
colonel of the Twenty-third Ohio Volunteers. Soon 
after organizing Camp Chase at Columbus, O., he 
received a commission as brigadier-general in the reg- 
ular army to date from May 16, 1861 ; he took the 
field with command of a provisional brigade under 
Gen. McClellan in western Virginia. His first import- 
ant action was that of Rich Mountain, which he won 
on July 11, 1861. After Gen. McQellan's call to 
higher command, Rosecrans succeeded him, on July 
25, in the department of the Ohio, which consisted 
of western Virginia, Ohio, Michigan and Indiana. He 
had command of the national forces, defeated Gen. 
John B. Floyd at Carnifex Ferry, September 10, 1861, 
and thwarted all Lee's attempts to gain a footing in 
western A'irginia; and when he went into winter quar- 
ters at Wlieeling, and announced that he had cleared 
West A^irginia of organized Confederate forces, he 
received the thanks of the Legislature of that State 
and of Ohio for his management of the campaign. 

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One of the queerest experiences of militarv history 
was his work in the spring of 1862, when he found and 
extricated Gen. Blenker, who had actually lost himself 
and his command in the mountains of West Virginia 
and whose whereabouts were unknown to his superior 
officers. In May, Rosecrans was sent to Gen. Halleck, 
who gave him command of the right wing before 
Corinth. 

BATTLES OF lUKA AND CORINTH. 

He succeeded Gen. Pope in the command of the 
Army of the Mississippi and, with four brigades, fought 
the battle of luka, September II), where he defeated 
Gen. Price; after which he returned to Corinth, where, 
anticipating an attack, he fortified the town, and or. 
October 3 and 4 defeated the Confederate army under 
Van Dorn and Price. On the first day of the l^attle 
the enemy was simply checked, and early on the morn- 
ing of the second day the whole rebel army assaulted 
Rosecrans' forces. The fighting was fierce, the enemy 
charging almost into the town. Once, the L'nion 
troops came near giving way, but Rosecrans rallied 
them in person and finally won the day. After this 
battle he received a letter from Lincoln couched in 
these words: 

'T have received the reports of the various com- 
manders. I have now to tell you that the magnitude 
of the stake — the battle and the results — become 
more than ever apparent. Upon the issue of this figui 
depended the possession of West Tennessee, and per- 
haps even the fate of operations in Kentucky. The 
entire available force of the rebels in Mississippi, save 

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a few garrisons and a small reserve, attacked von. 
They were commanded by Van Dorn, Price and others 
in person. They nnmbered 40,00(1 men — almost 
double your own numbers. You fought them into 
the position we desired on the 3d, punishing them ter- 
ribly; and on the 4th, three hours after the infantry 
went into action, they were completely beaten. You 
pursued his retreating columns forty miles in force 
with infantry and sixty-nine miles with cavalry, and 
were ready to follow him to Mobile, if necessary, had 
you received orders. 1 congratulate you on these 
decisive results. In the name of the Government and 
the people, I thank you. I beg you to unite with me 
in giving humble thanks to the Great Master of all 
our victories." 

Rosecrans was much impressed by Sheridan's fight 
against the Confederate cavalry under Chalmers at 
Corinth and persistently and successfully urged the 
authorities at Washington to give him a command 
in which his ability and qualities would be more widely 
useful. This fact gave rise to the saying so commonly 
heard in after years, that Rosecrans "discovered" Phil. 
Sheridan. 

On October 25 he went to Cincinnati, where he 
found orders awaiting him to supersede Gen. Don 
Carlos Buell and was made commander of the 

DEPARTMENT OF THE CUMBERLAND. 

which was to consist of whatever territory south of 
the Cumberland he should take from the enemy. 

As Buell's successor, Rosecrans did an enormous 
quantity of work, the advantages of which were enjoyed 

15 



by the Federal forces to the end of the war. He estab- 
lished bases and lines of communication, established 
Inspector General's and topographical departments 
and engineer and pioneer corps, which he developed 
to a high state of efificiency. On October 30 he began 
his march to Nashville, and on November 5 he defeated 
a Confederate attack on that city. 

STONE RIVER. 

After providing twenty days' rations at Nashville,! 
he advanced on the enemy under Gen. Bragg, on Stone 
River, December 30, 18G2. This battle lasted four 
days. A current account of it says: 

"The right wing was commanded by Gen. A. Mc- 
Dowell McCook, a brave and gallant officer, and lie 
had under him as brave a corps of men as ever faced 
an cnemv. Earlv on the mornino- of the first dav's 
battle McCook's corps was fiercely attacked by the 
enemy in force and driven pell mell to the rear, but 
not without first making a most determined and dread- 
ful fight, suffering heavy loss. 

"This attack of the enemy commenced about G 
o'clock a. m., before daylight, and before many oi 
jMcCook's men had finished their bacon and coffee. 

"The heavv firing on the right naturally attracted 
the attention of Rosecrans, who had been closely watch- 
ing the movements of Bragg. About 9 o'clock on the 
morning of that day he saw that McCook's men were 
falling back rapidly and in disorder, and that some 
thing must be done and be done quickly to check the 
enemv's advance on his right wing. If not, his entire 

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army would be rtuited. It was a storm of shot and 
shell in which the right wing of the Union army was 
being driven like straws before a cyclone. Realizing 
the dreadful position into which the rebels were speed- 
ily crowding him, Rosecrans, unattended by guard 
or staff, rode quickly into t^e thickest of Ihe fight, 
and, drawing his sword, waved it over his head and 
yelled to his retreating men to halt, face and fight the 
enemy. 

"The sight of 'Old Rosy' in the thick of the fight, 
exposing liis life every moment, so inspired McCook's 
brave but broken ranks with sudden enthusiasm and 
'.determination that the retreating line halted, 'about 
faced,' and delivered a volley of musketry into the 
enemy's ranks that staggered and checked their fur- 
ther advance. 

"Two days later the battle was renewed by a furious 
assault on the national lines, but after sharp fighting 
the enemy was driven back with heavy loss. 

"T'n willing to engage in a general action, the Con- 
federate army retreated to the line of Duck River, 
md the Army of the Cumberland occupied Murfrees- 
boro. This battle was one of the bloodiest in the war, 
And resulted in a loss of 9,511 men by the national 
I jorces and 0,2.')() by the Confederates. As soon as 
.ft'icksburg was beyond the reach of possible succor 
rom Bragg, by a brilliant fiank movement Rosecrans 
islodged him from his intrenched camps at Shelby- 
ille and Tullahoma, and in fifteen davs, [une 24 to 
h\\v 7, ISd^), drove \mu out of the middle of Tennessee, 
^s soon as the railway was re})aired he nccu]:)icd 

i 



Bridgeport and Stevenson. From July 7 to Angusi 
14 railway bridges and trestles were rebuilt, the roa( 
and rolling stock put in order, supplies pushed forwarc; 





BRIG. GEN. ROSECRANS. 
Taken after the Battle of Stone River. 

and demonstrations made to conceal the point of cros 
hio- the Cumberland ^lountains and the Tennesst 
River." chickamauga. 

Rosecrans was constantly urged from Washingtc 
to dislodge the enemy from the mountains. But 1 
delayed, repairing his railroad communications, askn 
for reinforcements, and waiting for corn to ripen f^ 



18 



food and forage. He reached the river on the evening 
of August 20 and the army, except the cavalry, safely 
crossed. Bragg withdrew from Chattanooga and re- 
tired behind Chickamauga until the arrival of Long- 
street's corps. Thus the first great move of Rose- 
crans' campaign was accomplished. 

He then began to concentrate his forces witli the 
utmost dispatch to meet the inevitable combat. The 
battle was commenced on September 19 by an attempt 
to gain possession of the road to Chattanooga, con- 
tinued through the day, and resulted in Rosecrans 
defeating the attempt and planting Gen. Thomas' 
corps, with Johnson's and Palmer's divisions, firmly 
upon that road; but during the night Longstreet came 
up and was immediately given command of the Con- 
federate left. 

On the following morning the contest was renewed 
by a determined attack on the national left and center. 
At this moment, by the misinterpretation of an order. 
Gen. Thomas J. Wood's division was withdrawn, leav- 
ing a gap in the center, into which Gen. Longstreet 
pressed his troops, forced Jefferson C. Davis' two 1)ri- 
gades out of the line, and cut off Philip H. Sheridan's 
three brigades of the right, all of which, after a gallant 
but unsuccessful effort to stem this charge, were 
ordered to reform on the Dry Valley road at the first 
good standing ground in rear of the position they had 
Iy lost. The two divisions of Horatio P. \^an Cleve anrl 
iu Davis, going to succor the right center, were partly 
shattered by this break, and four or five regiments 
were scattered through the woods, but most of the 

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stragg^lcrs stopped with Sheridan's and Davis' com- 
mands. The remainder, nearly seven divisions, were 
unbroken, and continued the fight. The gallant Gen. 
George H. Thomas, whose orders the night before, 
reiterated a few moments before this disaster, w^ere to 
hold his position at all hazards, continued to fight with f 
seven divisions, while Gen. Rosecrans undertook to 
make such dispositions as would most effectualh' avert 
disaster in case the enemy should turn the position by 
advancing on the Drv Valley road, and capture the 
remaining commissary stores, then in a valle\^ two ; 
or three miles to the west. Fortunately, this advance ' 
was not made, the commissary train was pushed into 
Chattanooga, the cavalry, ordered down, closed the ' 
ways behind the national right, and Gen. Thomas, after 
the most desperate fighting, drew back at night to 
Rossville in pursuance of orders from Gen. Rosecrans. 
On the 22d the army was concentrated at Chattanooga. 
The battle was a victory to the Confederates only in 
name, for Chattanooga, the objective point of the cam- 
paign, remained in the possession of the national forces. 
The total national loss, in killed, wounded and missing, 
was 10,179; the Confederate loss, 17,804. 

Shortly after the battle General Rosecrans issued 
the following letter, which old veterans love to refer 
to as a summing up of the great campaign under his' 
command : 

Headquarters Department of the Cumberland. 

Chattanoo(;a, Oct. 2, 1863. 

Army of the Cumberland: — You have made a grand and 
successful campaign; 3^ou have driven the rebels from Middle 
Tennessee; you crossed a mountain range, placed yourselves 
on the banks oi' a broad river, crossed it in the face of a 
powerful, opposing army, and crossed two other great moun- 

20 



' tain ranges at the only practicable passes, some torty miles 
between extremes. You concentrated in the face of superior 
numbers; fought the combined armies of -Bragg, which you 
drove from Shelljyville to Tullahoma; of Johnston's army 
from Alississippi, and the tried veterans of Longstreet's corps, 
and for two days held them at bay, giving them blow for blow, 
with heavy interest. When you withdrew in the face of over- 
powering numbers, to occupy the point for which you set 
out — Chattanooga. 

You have accomplished the work of the campaign; you 
hold the key of East Tennessee, of Northern Georgia and of 
the enemies' mines of coal and nitre. Let these achieve- 
ments console you for the regret you experience that the 
arrival of fresh hostile troops forbade your remaining on 
the field to renew the battle; for the right of burying your 
gallant dead and caring for your brave companions, who lay 
wounded on the field. The losses you have sustained, though 
heavy, are slight, considering the odds against you, and the 
stake you have won. 

The General Commanding earnestly begs every officer and 
soldier of this army to unite with him in thanking Almighty 
God for His favor to us. He presents his hearty thanks and 
congratulations to all the officers and soldiers of this com- 
mand, for their energy, patience and perseverance, and the 
undaunted courage displayed by those wdro fought with such 
unflinching resolution. 

Neither the history of this war, nor probably the annals 

of any battle, furnish a loftier example of obstinate bravery 

: and enduring resistance to superior numbers — when troops 

having exhausted their ammunition, resorted to the bayonet 

many times to hold their positions against such odds, as did 

\our left and centre, comprising troops from all the corps, on 

;the afternoon of the 20th of September, at the battle of 

I Chickamauga. 

(Signed) W. S. Rosecrans. 

Major-General Commanding. 

Gen. Rosecraiis was relieved of his command on 
/ jOctober 23, and he was assigned to the department 
of the Missouri in Jantiary, 1864, with headquarters in 
St. Louis, where he conducted the miHtarv operations 

21 



that tcrniinatcd in the defeat and expulsion from the 
State of the invading Confederate forces under Gen. 
Price. He was placed on waiting orders at Cincinnati 
on December 10, 1864, mustered out of the volunteer 
service January 15, 1866, and resigned from the army 
on ^larch 28, 1867, after receiving the brevet of major- 
general in the regular army for his services at the battle 
of Stone River. 

In 1865, he was offered the Union nomination for 
Governor of Ohio, but declined. In July, 1868, he 
was appointed minister to Mexico and held that office 
until June, 1869, when he returned to the United 
States and, later, declined the Democratic nomination 
for Governor of Ohio, expressing views antagonistic 
to the platform. He advocated the policy of having 
bank notes made payable in coin on demand; he also 
favored an early return to the specie basis and took 
decided ground for free trade, civil service reform and 
State regulation of the franchise. 

Subsequently he resumed the practice of engineer- 
ing, and in 1872-3 was engaged in an effort to initiate 
the construction of a vast system of narrow gauge rail- 
ways in Mexico, at the instance of President Juarez. 
He became president, in 1871, of the San Jose Mining 
Company, and in 1878 of the Safety Powder Company ^ 
in San Francisco. He was also intrusted with a charter^ 
for an inter-oceanic railway from the Gulf of Mexico" 
to the Pacific, made bv the Mexican republic under 
considerations urged by him when envoy to Mexico, 
and he was requested to use his influence to induce 
American railway building skill and capital to under- 

22 



•i 



take the work. He memorialized Congress to cultivate 
friendly and intimate commercial relations with Mex- 
ico, and to assist and encourage the material progress 
of that country, and at the instance of American and 
English railway builders, and of President Juarez, he 
went to Mexico. He had for fifteen months so ablv 
discussed in the newspapers the benefits of rail- 
way construction to Mexico, that the Legislatures of 
seventeen of the Mexican States passed unanimous 
resolutions urging their national Congress to enact 
the legislation advocated, and the Governors of six 
other States sent official reconmiendations to the same 
eiTfect. 

In ISTC) Gen. Rosecrans declined the Democratic 
nomination for Congress from Nevada. 

IX CONGRESS. 

In ISSO, he was elected as a Democrat to the lower 
house of Congress, from California; carrvinsf a stronc>- 
Republican district. In the House he was Chairman 
of the Committee on ]\Iilitarv Affairs, havino- been re- 
elected in 1882. June 8, 1885, he was appointed l)y 
President Cleveland, whose warm friend and admirer 
he had been. Register of the Treasury. ]\Iarch '1, 
18811, he was by act of Congress put on the retired list 
of the U. S. x^rmy, with the rank of brigadier-general. 
The act reads: 

"Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Repre- 
sentatives of the U. S. of America in Congress as- 
sembled: That the President be, and he is hereby 
authorized to nominate, and, by and with the advice 

23 



1^ 



and consent of the Senate, to appoint William S. Rose- 
crans, late major-g-eneral of U. S. Volunteers, and 
brig-adier-q;cncral in the reoular army of the U. S., 
to the position of brigadier-g-eneral in the army of the 
U. S., and to place him upon the retired list of the 
army as of that grade (the retired list being therel)y 
increased in number to that extent): and all laws and 
parts of laws in conflict herewith are suspended for 
this purpose only." 

A rancorous de1)ate ensued on its passage, owing to 
the fact that when a similar bill placing- Grant upon 
the retired list was up for passage, Rosecrans, then 
a member of Congress and Chairman on Military 
Affairs had persistently opposed it. During the debate, 
many members who had served in the Army of the 
Cumberland, came valiantly to the defense of the old 
hero, and as one said: "We can alTord to forget what 
Gen. Rosecrans may have said, but we can not afford 
to forget what he did." The bill finally passed with- 
out division. 

Rosecrans retained office as Register of the Treas- 
ury under President Harrison, until failing health 
forced him, a few years ago, to seek repose in the 
climate of California, where, on his ranch some ten 
miles from Los Angeles, he calndv awaited the end 
of life. 

HIS LIFE IX CALIFOKXIA. 

After the war. Gen. Rosecrans, undecided where 
to settle, first took a journev to the Pacific coast. 
Regular army men are noted for th.eir love of the coast. 

There are more retired officers living in California 

24 



than in any other State. Hancock, Sheridan and Sher- 
man were all in love with California's gorgeous cli- 
mate, its blue skies, its perennial vegetation, the infi- 
nite peace that settles upon the land, the exuberance 
of its soil and the mysterious Pacific, with its wonder- 
ful flora and fauna. General Grant was making prep- 
arations to end his days in California when he fell 
ill. All along the coast, from Seattle to San Dieg-o, 
are to be found old soldiers spending their declining 
years in surroundings the very opposite from those 
that accompany, the life of the fighting man. 

Gen. Rosecrans came to California in 1867. At that 
time San Francisco had yet all the bizarre aspects 
of a city near the gold mines. Southern California 
was a wilderness of sand and sage brush, tangles of 
cacti, fields of alfalfa and other vegetation native to 
the soil. Gen. Rosecrans had determind beforehand 
to buy land in California, but "when he made inquiries 
he was amazed to find great unanimity of opinion to 
the effect that beyond the mid-line of the state there 
was nothing worth having. 

ARRIVAL AT LOS ANGELES. 

He was still "looking around" when good luck 
threw him in the way of Captain Banning, one of the 
pioneers of southern California. Captain Banning per- 
suaded him to take a trip on his boat to San Pedro. 
On the four days' voyage the General was struck with 
the absence of harbors all along the rugged coast. He 
was discouraged. Could commerce ever go there? 
When he arrived at San Pedro and went into the 

25 



V) 

interior he felt that the San Franciscans were right — \' 
tliat the country would never be anything but a pas- 
ture. However, he visited Los Angeles, then a settle- 
ment of a few cheap houses. On his way he stopped 
at an old adobe "half-way" house, and, standing on 
the eminence, he cast his eyes over a stretch of coun- 
try 1,000 miles in area, as it seemed to him. 

wSpeaking of that sight he said, a little time before 
his death : 

"I saw at a glance around me all this glorious val- 
ley, with the mountains forming three-fourths of a 
circle to the back and on both sides of me, and the 
ocean in front, sounding then and eternally. It was 
a brilliant day, a specimen day of the 300 perfect ones 
we have in this climate. I thought I had never seen 
such a sky, nor such colors in the atmosphere along 
near the ground and over against the mountains. Here, 
I. said to myself, I will buy land and build me a home, 
for if water can be developed, I may be certain to have 
neighbors in the not too distant future." 

DWINDLING OF HIS ESTATE. 

That view settled it. He would buy land there from 
the government and from the handful of unsuccessful 
pioneers who were already convinced that the country I 
could never amount to anything. And he did. He 
acquired for a song an estate of 14,000 acres. Most/ 
of that superb property the General lost in the mining 
holes of Xevada. At present all that is left of it is, 
a ranch of 1,100 acres. JJut that much was sufftcient! 
to gratify his passion for farming. I 

26 



L 



By degrees his house grew up to be a very large 
and pleasant abode. The mansion is not really a house, 
but a collection of houses of a rude exterior but com- 
fortable enough within. 

The General farmed wisely after the theory of the 
Southern Californian. ''Measure the value of your 
land," says Senator Jones of Nevada to the settler in 
Southern California, "by what it will bring in wheat 
and barley." All but 300 of the 1,100 acres are sown 
in those cereals. The oOO acres bear deciduous and 
citrus fruits, eucalyptus trees for fuel, a potato field, 
and a strawberry bed. 

HIS LAST DAYS. 

Here, with his son Carl, he passed the last days 
of his life in peace and serenity. His home was a 
modest one. There were some family portraits, not- 
ably one of his wife, whom he married in the forties 
and who was the daugditer of Judge Hegeman, a 
prominent New York lawyer. She died during his 
official life in Washington. In his home, also, were 
his old war mementoes, — maps, reports, flags and 
swords and a substantial library of scientific works. 
One of his favorite papers was the Scientific American. 
His last days were crowned, on Lsetare Sunday, March 
14, 1896, by a visit from Bishop Montgomery, accom- 
panied by members of the clergy and laity of I.os 
Angeles, who went down to his ranch to formally 
I present him with the medal and address which the 
'University of Notre Dame, Indiana, annually bestows 
in a Catholic layman noted for extraordinary devo- 
tion to Church or State. The medal bore on its 
diverse, in purple enameled letters, the usual legend, — • 

27 



"Magna est Veritas et Prcevalebit," — "Truth is Mighty 
and will Prevail"; the central field is taken up by the 
escutcheon of our country within a laurel wreath, all 
in high relief; the red, white, and blue shield is worked 
out with exquisite delicacy in enamel and precious 
stones. The reverse of the disk is much the same. 
Another inscription, ''Presented by the University of 
Notre Dame," in black enamelled letters, circles about 
the centre, on which is engraved Gen. Rosecrans' 
name. The address which accompanied the medal is 
on parchment and was printed by the University Press 
and illuminated by the Sisters of St. Mary's Academy. 
The illumination is exquisitely done. The national 
colors are used in a very effective way, and the whole 
was a strikingly beautiful piece of work. 

The words of the address were: 

"Few men who have borne like you the rigors of 
war are privileged as you have been to enjoy so long 
the repose of peace. Still fewer are they who, laboring 
for so many years in eminent public station, still wear 
a shield not simply untainted by reproach but untarn- 
ished even by the breath of suspicion. 

"Providence has granted you length of days in 
wdiich to enjoy the fulness of honor. You are the. 
last, as you are one of the greatest, of those noblq 
chiefs who led our hosts to victory. Your name i?, 
set among the brightest traditions of the Republic;' 
your services are writ in letters of imperishable glory 
upon our Country's tablet of honor; and unborn gen-i 
erations, children of these States whose union you 
labored so successfully to preserve, will be inspired 

28 



bv voiir example and thrilled by the story of yonr 
genius and courage. It is not within the power of 
anv man or any body of men to honor you whom tb.e 
whole nation claims for its hero; but the University 
of Xotre Dame offers you the highest distinction 
within its gift, in bestowing on you this year its 
L?etare Medal. Accept it as a symbol of the proud 
appreciation in which your Catholic fellow-citizens 
hold your distinguished public services. The L?etare 
Medal has been worn only by men and women whose 
genius has ennobled the arts and sciences, illustrated 
the Churcli and enriched the heritage of humanity. 
It will be a joy to your fellow-citizens that you are 
now enrolled in that noble company which is worthy 
of you and which you will adorn. For in you are 
crowned the virtues of a Christian soldier — the gen- 
erous response to duty, the unstinted service of labor- 
ious days and restless nights, the courage of a martyr 
and the gentleness of a hero. 

"One of tlie noblest chapters of Catholic theology 
is that which teaches the duty of patriotism and whole- 
hearted devotion to the public weal. Catholics are 
among the hrst to recognize that duty and respond to 
it. But whenever a slanderous cry goes up from the 
camps of fanaticism; when men would proclaim the 
Church hostile to liberty and false to the principles 
>f American government, she finds her l^est response 
and her strongest vindication in the lives of men like 
you." 

After a lingering illness, a general breaking down 
lof his constitution incident to old a2:e, the General 

29 



passed away on the morning of ]\Iarch 11, 1808. The 
following Tuesday his body was brought to Los An- 
geles and escorted to the City Hall. The Lsetare 
Medal, with the badges of the Loyal Legion, the 
Grand Army and the Army of the Potomac, adorned 
the breast of the old hero as he lay in state. The 
National Guard of California watched by the body 
continuously, with hourly reliefs. The casket was 
draped with the old headquarters flag of his command 
and upon it lav the sword presented by citizens of 
Cincinnati, inscribed with the words: "My mission 
among you is that of a fellow-citizen charged by the 
government to restore law and order." 

The Associated Press gave this account of the 
funeral : 

''The funeral of jNIajor-General W. S. Rosecrans to- 
day was one of the most impressive and elaborate this 
citv has ever witnessed. Thousands assembled to 
honor the dead warrior. Business was interrupted 
during the ceremonies. 

"The remains were removed from the bier at thc 
City Hall, wdiere they had been lying ni state, to the 
cathedral at an early hour, and in a quiet manner. 

"The special military escort provided by Gen. Last 
accompanied the remains and resumed the watch in 
the cathedral. 

"Promptly at 10 o'clock requiem high mass was 
celebrated at the cathedral. Right Reverened Bishop. 
Montgomery ofTficiating, assisted by members of tlu. 
clergy from all parts of the diocese. The casket restec' 
in front of the altar and upon it were many l)eautiful 

30 



and striking floral pieces. The decorations about the 
altar and throughout the cathedral were extremely 
beautiful and in great profusion. After the services, 
which lasted 40 minutes, the military took charge of 
the funeral. The .column formed with Gen. Last and 
staff at its head. They were followed bv a troop of 
cavalry, the Seventh Regiment Band, the signal corps, 
Colonel Berry and staff, companies A, C, F and I, 
Seventh Infantry, N. G. C., delegations of the Sons 
of Veterans, Confederates' Association, Grand Army 
of the Republic, Loyal Legion, and Union \'eterans' 
League. Following them came the hearse and directly 
behind it a riderless horse w^as led. 

''The family of the deceased rode in carriages, and 
followed the hearse, and behind these were many other 
vehicles, containing members of civic bodies and rep- 
resentatives of many organizations. 

'The column marched south from the cathedral on 
Main street to Washington, thence to the cemetery, 

"The services at the cemetery were brief. There 
was vocal music and short addresses by Rev. W. A. 
Knighton, Hon. F. Glaze, Capt. J. C. Oliver, F. W. 
Stein and F. H. Poiridexter. 

"At the conclusion of the services one of the infantry 
companies fired a salute of three volleys over the 
tomb, taps were sounded and the warrior was left to 
his rest. 

Among many messages of condolence received by 
the family was one from President McKinley which 
spoke very touchinglv of his regard for his former 
'commander. 

; 31 



CHAPTER II. 

THE BATTLE OF CHICKAMAUGA. 




HICKA]\IAUGA is a sluggish little stream 
flowing from McLemore's Cove in Georgia, 
through Tennessee and finally emptying 
itself into the beautiful Tennessee River. 
This little river still bears its Indian name — Chicka- 
mauga (river of death) — and how significant since 
September 10 and 20, 18G3, when near and about its 
banks was fought one of the greatest battles of modern 
times, a battle that will go down in history with Auster- 
litz, Waterloo, Alarengo, and Gettysburg, a battle that 
a general engaged in it compares with Flodden Field, 
where both Surre\' of England and James of Scotland 
believed the other army was vanquished and neither 
could claim a victory. Pages and volumes, tons of 
literature have been written about the great battle of 
Chickamauga and still the question remains a disputed 
one. 

Jt is interesting to note that (icn. Rosecrans suc- 
ceeded in connnand of the Army of the Cumberland 
another C)hio-b(M-n general, also a convert to the 
Catholic Church, Gen. Don Carlos liuell, born near 
Marietta, Ohio, and still living in the vicinity of Eouis- 
ville, Kentucky. It is not om- intention to enter into 
anv elaborate or extended discussion of the merits 



of Chickaniauga's battle, but simply to state some 
facts that may perhaps assist the reader to better under- 
stand the disputed (|uestion. First, it is maintained 
that Chickamaug^a was not a L^iion defeat: second, 
Gen. Rosecrans was not properly sustained by the 
Washington authorities, notably Stanton, the famous 
war secretary; thirdly, that Rosecrans was not in favor 
with higher authorities on account of his political and 
religious beliefs, being a War Democrat and a Catholic. 
To the last assertion we give but little credence; pos- 
sibly it entered into the history of those days, but, 
if so, only to a minor degree; and here we would call 
attention only to the other two. Was Chickamauga 
a l^nion defeat? Most emphatically, Xo! In defense 
of this T append an editorial that appeared some years 
ago in the columns of the Cohivibiis Dispatch, for the 
reason tliat it states the cpiestion and answers it in most 
concise and clear terms: 

CHICKAMAUGA HISTORY REVIEWED 

"The fields of (iettysburg and Chickamauga are 
especially worthy of adornment, not because more 
chivalrous courage was displayed on them than else- 
where, but l^ecause they mark not only important 
events, but critical periods in the great civil war. At 
Gettysburg it was demonstrated that a confederat(^ 
aj-my could not permanentlv occupy a free state. At 
Chickamauga it was shown that a federal army, after 
fighting its way for three hundred miles through a 
hostile country, could cross rivers, climl) mountain 
rjtnges, contend for two davs against su])eri()r nu]r;- 

) 33 



bers, and yet seize and hold an important city in the 
heart of the confederacy. After Gettysburg the Army 
of Northern Mrginia, under Lee, lost all desire for 
offensive warfare: and the confederate general, D. H. 
Hill, savs: "The olan of the Southern soldier was never 
seen after Chickamauga — that brilliant dash which 
had distinguished him on a hundred fields was gone 
forever." 

"It has been alleged that Chickamauga resulted in 
the defeat of the Union army, and that Rosecrans' 
campaign south of the Tennessee was unsuccessful. 
Let us see how much truth there is in this allegation. 
If Lee, after fighting the battle of Gettysburg, had 
moved on to Harrisburg, and occupied that city to the 
end of the war, would his campaign have been regarded 
as a failure or a success? Grant was roughly handled 
in the Wilderness, and the enemy after pounding him 
for two days, and inflicting upon him great loss, took 
position and awaited his assault, but he did not make 
it; on the contrary, he moved on towards Richmond. 
Was Grant defeated? No. Again, he found Lee 
across his path at Spottsylvania Court House, and 
after a long battle and frightful losses he left him 
where he found him, and resumed his march towards 
Richmond. Was Grant defeated here? No. At 
North Anna he found Lee again obstructing his pro- 
gress, and moved around and beyond him. At Cold 
Harbor he found Lee again before him, and discov- 
ered also that the line he had purposed to fight it out 
on if it took all summer, was wholly impracticable; 
and so after a terrible conflict he, on the 12th day of 

34 



the first summer month, abandoned Lee and the direct 
road to Richmond, transferred his army to the soutli 
side of the James, and took position in front of Peters- 
burg. Do historians claim that all battles referred to 
were federal defeats? Not at all. Neither history 
nor popular opinion will admit that Grant ever suffered 
a defeat. Now, in the light of these admittedly suc- 
cessful operations, let us run through an epitome of 
the history of the Army of the Cumberland. 

"Rosecrans assumed command of the Union forces, 
subsequently known as the Army of the Cumberland, 
in the latter part of October, 1862, a few weeks after 
they had, in part, participated in the battle of Perrvs- 
ville, Kentucky. In the following December he at- 
tacked the Confederate army under Bragg, near Mur- 
freesboro, and after a fierce contest continuing for four 
days, won the battle of Stone River. After fortifyinsj 
Murfreesboro, with a view to making it a depot of 
supplies, he resumed his march southward, drove 
Bragg from his fortified camp at Tullahoma, and pur- 
sued his retreating columns beyond the Cumberland 
Mountains and the Tennessee River. The Confederate 
army now concentrated at Chattanooga. In this posi- 
tion it could not be disturbed by a direct attack. Rest- 
ing on the northern bank of the Tennessee only long- 
enough to make arrangement for bringing forward his 
supplies, Rosecrans crossed the river, struggled with 
his long supply train over two mountain ranges, and 
descended into the Chickamauga valley; thus threat- 
ening not only the railroads upon which the Confed- 
erate arm}^ depended for subsistence, but menacing 

35 



the enemy's rear and all the country lying southward. 
The objective of the Union general was Chattanooga, 
the key to the railroad system of the South. Bragg 
now abandoned Chattanooga in order to put himself 
between the Union army and his base of supplies, and 
at the same time appealed to the Confederate govern- 
ment for reinforcements. The reinforcements he called 
for were innnedately supplied. Buckner, with a divis- 
ion, hurried to him from the vicinity of Knoxville, 
and Longstreet. with a corps of 15,00(1 men, was trans- 
ferred ])y rail from Richmond to Chickamauga. Then, 
on parallel lines with both armies at equal distances 
from Chattanooga, there began on both sides a con- 
centration northward toward the prize for which Rose- 
crans was struggling. The i)urpose of the federal 
armv was to reacli Chattanooga; that of the Confed- 
erate army to prevent it. And while rapidly shifting 
northward toward the ])lace it had set out to seize and 
hold, the Union army was assailed, not in a position 
of its own choice, but in one selected by the enemy. 
After the first day's fighting both armies sought and 
secured new positions. After the second day's battle 
the Union army, following the trend of its pre\'ious 
n.iovcments, moved to Rossville, three or four mile.■^ 
nearer Chattanooga than in the field on whicli it had 
fought, took position there and awaited the coming 
of the enemy. The enemy came, ])ut ncn in force. 
The fact is, the Confederate army had had all the fight- 
ing it could stand, and hence permitted the Army of 
the Cumberland to march deliberately and leisurely 
from Rossville into Chattanooga. 

36 



•'-. 




"Was this a victory for the national arms, or was 
it a defeat? What constitutes a victory? The posses- 
sion of a few l)arren hills and ridg-es over which armies 
mav march and fight? If so, Rosecrans' movement 
from the Cund)erland to the Tennessee VN-as a succes- 
sion of the Union victories, for every foot of it was over 
hostile territory. There are two things, either of which 
may make a victory; first, the destruction of an army; 
second, the winning of the prize for which two armies 
contend. The Army of the Cumberland was not de- 
stroyed. In fact, with fewer men than the enemy, it 
inflicted greater loss upon the Confederates than it 
sustained. By an unlucky blimder its right wing was 
disabled early on the second day, but by such fighting 
as has never l^een surpassed, the army maintained its 
ground until there was not a shot to answer nor an 
assault to be repelled, and then deliberately took pos- 
session of the prize for which it had been contending. 
From that time forward Kentucky, Tennessee and Ala- 
bama were practically free from the incursions of the 
enemy. The importance of Chattanooga in a military 
sense was not even second to \ icksburg. Tlie occu- 
pation of the latter by Cnion troops left the Mississippi 
unobstructed from its head waters to the (iulf. The* 
occupation of Chattanooga oj^ened the gate by whicli 
the l^nion army could march almost unopposed to 
the sea. It may be said the Army of the Cumberland 
did not alone expel Bragg from the heights of Mis- 
sionary Ridge. True; but if that army had not seized 
and held Chattanooga, the troops under Sherman and 
Hooker could not have concentrated there, and the 

37 




former would not have entered upon his brilliant cam- 
paign through Georgia and the CaroHnas/' 

As to the second, Was Rosecrans properly sup' 
ported by the Washington authorities? No. Not 
long ago a New York paper told the story by way 
of anecdote, — an anecdote that is more to the credit 
of Rosecrans than might be a whole chapter of i.istory. 
The words of the New York paper were : 

*'The campaign which ended in the occupation of 
Chattanooga and which included the great battle of 
Chickamauga was one of the most brilliant of the 
whole war, when the conditions under which it was 
carried out are understood. Gen. Rosecrans started 
from Murfreesboro June 24, 1863, with the Army of 
the Cumberland, which had been promised support 
from Burnside's army of the Tennessee. Gen. Bragg, 
the Confederate commander, had been re-enforced by 
troops from Virginia under that brilliant and able 
officer. Gen, Longstreet. Regardless of the counsels 
of commanders, the clamor of the press and the prin- 
ciples of military science, Rosecrans, with the army 
of the Cumberland, was sent to dislodge an enemy 
of equal strength from a country well known to him 
and well adapted on account of its mountainous char- 
acter to defensive tactics. 
y\ "Governors Awstin of Pennsylvania, Andrew of Mas- 
sachusetts and Yates of Illinois offered to send Rose- 
crans seven regiments of two-year veterans, who were 
willing to re-enlis-t on condition that they should go 
as mounted infantry to the army of the Cumberland, 
but Secretary Stanton, who was implacably hostile 

38 



to its commander, would not listen to the proposition. 
Gen. Lovell H. Rousseau bore a letter to the secretary 
of war explaining how very important the service of 
such a body of men would be in guarding the long 
line of communications which would have to be kept 
open in the advance upon Chattanooga. When the 
secretary read Gen. Rosecrans' letter, he said to Gen. 
Rousseau: "I would rather you would come to ask 
the command of the army of the Cumberland than 
to ask reinforcements for Gen. . Rosecrans. He shall 
not have another d d man." 

"So the army of the Cumberland set out alone, and 
this, in brief, is what it accomplished under the general 

to whom Stanton refused to send 'another d d 

man': Dislodged the enemy from two strongly fortified 
camps; crossed the Cumberland Mountains, the Ten- 
nessee River, Sand Mountains and Lookout A/fountain ; 
fought the battle of Chickamauga, and on September 
22, 1863, just 92 days from starting from Murfrees- 
boro, 119 miles away, held Chattanooga, the objective 
of the campaign. 

"Thus Rosecrans, in a campaign of 92 days, secured 
and held Chattanooga, the gate through which Sher- 
man and his army entered the Confederate wall when 
starting for the sea." 

The following brief extract from "The Army of the 
Cumberland," written ])y Henry M. Cist, brevet brig- 
adier-general, throws some light on the treatment 
Rosecrans received from the Washington authorities: 

''On March 1 (1862) Halleck, as Commander-in- 
Chief of the Armies of the United States, wrote a let- 

39 



tcr, scndino- a cc)p\- to Rosecrans and (Irant, offering 
the position of the then vaeant major-generalship in 
the regular arni\- to the general in tlie field who should 
first achieve an important and decisive victory. Grant 
very (|uietlv folded up the letter, put it l)y for future 
reference and proceeded with the plans of his cam- 
paign, saying nothing. To Rosecrans' open, impulsive 
and honorable nature, engaged with all his powers in 
furthering the interests of the (Government and the 
general welfare of his comiuand, this letter was an in- 
sult, and he treated it accordingly. ( )n March (> he 
prepared his reply and forwarded it to Washington. 
In this letter he informed the General in Chief that 
'as an ofBcer and as a citizen he felt degiaded at such 
an auctioneering of honors,' and then added: 'Have 
we a general who would fight for his personal benefit 
when he would not for honor and for his country? 
He would come by his commission baselv in that case. 
and deserve to be despised by men of honor. l>ut 
are all the brave and honorable generals on an equality 
as to chance? If not, it is unjust to those wdio prob- 
ably deserve most.' 

"The eft'ect of this letter was to widen the breach 
between the authorities at Washington and Rosecrans. 
Halleck's letter and Rosecrans' reply were both char- 
acteristic of the men. From this time forward all the 
requests of Rosecrans for the improvement of the 
efficiency of his army were treated with great coolness, 
and in many instances it was only after the greatest 
importunity that he was able to secure the least atten- 
tion to his reconuuendations for the increased useful- 
ness of his command." 

40 



WHAT THE GENERALS THOUGHT, 

To confirm the statements made above we give a 
few extracts from officers high in the ranks of the 
army of the Cum])erlan(l and whc:) had amj^le oppor- 
tunity to know all the varying issues of the disputed 
questions. 

GENERAL MANDERSON, 

Senator from Nebraska, in a masterly oration deliv- 
ered in 1S!I5. says: "And yet. in spite of abundant 
available testimony, Chickamauga is declared bv those 
either ignorant or jealous to have l^een a defeat of the 
Federal arms, and the non-fighting croakers at Wash- 
ington indulged in much paper bombardment of those 
who planned the campaign. A victim was demanded, 
and Rosecrans was cruelly sacrificed. His services 
from the beginning of the war were ignored. Xo rec- 
ollection of ?tone River moved to respect for that abil- 
ity that we who had served under him knew he pos- 
sessed. The vilification of Rosecrans by these carping- 
critics was abuse of the grand army he led from Nash- 
ville to Murfreesboro; to 'victory plucked from the 
jaws of defeat' and victorv most pronounced at Stone 
River; through the Tullahoma campaign to the final 
occupation of the objective point of all militarv en- 
deavor, from the days of 18(>1 when the troops of the 
Union crossed the Ohio River. Rosecrans came to us 
with the halo of battles fousfht and won, and secured 
not only the confidence but the affection of his men, 
who gave the soldier's characteristic evidence of it by 
giving him a familiar nickname, and to us of that time 
he is still 'Old Rosey.' The Army of the Cumberland 

41 



felt that splendid leadership had failed of recognition, 
arduous service had been poorly requited and the sol- 
dierly merits of a superb strategist grossly ignored 
when Rosecrans was deposed." 

GENERAL A. WILEY 

says: "The campaign of Rosecrans was bold, enter- 
prising, vigorous. By his sound judgment and vig- 
ilance he anticipated and countered every movement 
of his adversary. Throughout he exhibited the high- 
est degree of moral courage. That he failed of accom- 
plishing all he attempted was no fault of his own, nor 
was it due to any lack of the highest soldierly qualities 
of the army he commanded. It was attributable to 
the superior advantages for rapid concentration which 
interior lines afforded his adversary, and to the total 
failure of support and co-operation on the part of 
Burnside, on which he had been told, at the com- 
mencement of the campaign, he could rely." 

GENERAL PHIL SHERIDAN 

in his "Personal Alemoirs" says of Rosecrans' removal 
from the command of the Army of the Cumberland: 
"He submitted uncomplainingly to his removal and 
modestly left us without fuss or demonstration, ever 
maintaining that the battle of Chickamauga was in 
effect a victory. When his departure became known, 
deep and almost universal regret was expressed, for 
he was enthusiastically esteemed and loved by the 
Army of the Cumberland from the day he assumed 
command until he left it." 

One of the most persistent defenders of Gen. Rose- 
crans has been 

42 



GENERAL H. V. BOYNTON, 

still living and a prominent journalist in Washington, 
who at all times has insisted that Rosecrans was not 
properly supported by the authorities at Washington, 
a fact which seems now to be pretty well established. 
One writer, in summing up the wdiole campaign, says : 
"It was one of the most brilliant of the whole war, 
when the conditions under which it was carried out 
are understood, and opened the way by which the 
troops of Sherman and Hooker were concentrated and 
was the entering wedge by which the former com- 
menced his historic march to the sea throuo-h Georsria 
and the Carolinas." 

GENERAL ROSECRANS 

broke the silence of years in 1880 to publicly contra- 
dict the current statement that the only order issued 
by him on the day of the battle was the one that opened 
the fatal gap in the Union lines, all the other orders 
being attributed to his chief of staff. General Garfield. 
In contradicting this statement, from all responsibility 
in regard to which he chivalrously exonerated Gen. 
Garfield, Gen. Rosecrans speaks of it as "another out- 
cropping of the historic lies about Chickamauga which 
began in a gigantic conspiracy through the press to 
cover up the crime against our country which was per- 
petrated in sending the Army of the Cumberland, alone 
and unaided, over an almost barren wilderness, across 
the Cumberland Mountains and Lookout Range into 
the mountains of Northwestern Georgia, 150 miles 
from its nearest base of supplies, to encounter the con- 

43 



cciitratcd forces of the Confederacy g-reatly confident: 
of victor}-; while (irant, with the wlioie Army of the 
Tennessee, was lying quiescent since \ icksburg. 
IJnrnside, with 42,(1(10 effectives, was sent 2(1(1 miles 
away into East Tennessee, where he could not weigh 
a feather in the contest: the (iulf Department, bv its 
expedition under Herron into Texas, was wholly incap- 
able of making- diversion on the gulf coast whicli would 
detain a single man from our front, and the Ami}- of 
the Potomac was so inactive as to permit Lee to send 
Longstreet's whole corps to join in crushing us." 
History has, however, rendered tardy justice to Gen. 
Rosecrans; and its verdict may be summed up in 
these words of Gen. Boynton, who, after speaking of 
Chickamauga as crowning with success the last cam- 
paign of Gen. Rosecrans, and being "matchless in its 
strategy, unequalled in the skill and energv with which 
his outnumbered army was concentrated for battle," 
says that had Rosecrans "crossed the river in front 
of the city and captured it with even greater loss, the 
country would have gone wild with enthusiasm. Had 
he been pro]:)erly supported from Washington, he 
would have entered it without a battle, since if there 
had been any show of activitv elsewhere. Bragg's armv 
would not have been nearly doubled with re-enforce- 
ments and thus enabled to march back on Chatta- 
nooga after its retreat from the city." Practically, the 
battle was a Union victory, won by Rosecrans' masterly 
skill and indomitable perseverance; and, as Gen. Hill 
admitted, it "sealed the fate of the Southern Confed- 
eracy." 

44 



n 



CHAPTER III. 

HOW HE MISSED THE PRESIDENCY. 

T may not l)e ,^-enerally known that our hero 
came near 1)eino- placed on the ticket witli 
Lincohi in 1S(;4, and how he missed his 
nomination is an interesting storv. After 
h,is removal from the Army of the CiimbcrlancI, 
public feeling- once more turned toward him and 
there was a general sentiment in and out of armv 
circles that he had been unjustly dealt with. So strong 
was this feeling that well informed politicians thought 
that he would add strength to the Republican ticket, 
and in June, 1S()-1:, ( iarfield telegraphed him from Bal- 
timore asking him if he would accept the nomination 
for \'ice-president on the ticket with Lincoln. Though 
always a Democrat and intensely loyal, after consult- 
ing friends he wired back a message that virtually was 
in the affirmative. Garfield always claimed he never 
received the message and so Andy Johnson was put 
on the ticket. 

It has since been ]M-etty well established that Stan- 
ton suppressed the message of Rosecrans, for Rose- 
crans was always persona iioii grata at the \\''ar Depart- 
ment, for the reason that he was not afraid to tell the 
truth. When war was a certainty, in 18(11, Gen. 
Morgan, of Mt. \'ernon, Ohio, was summoned by 

45 



wire to Washington, as his name had come up in a 
conversation held by members of the Cabinet with 
Gen. Scott. Asked what should be done with Robt. 
E. Lee, who had laid down his commission as an U, 
S. Army officer, he at once answered in his brusque 
way, ''Slap him in jail, for if you don't, he will lead 
the secessionists." 

Stanton scoffed at this idea, but history proves Mor- 
gan was right. Stanton had no use for any man who 
happened to know just a bit more than he did. 

Rosecrans had a similar experience. He had opin- 
ions and plans of his own concerning the war, and, 
like Morgan, did not hesitate to say that, knowing 
the people of the South, he knew the war could not 
be finished in a few weeks. Stanton at that time had 
a bad case of enlargement of the head — now politely 
called mental mumps — and insisted that the North 
could whip h — 1 out of the South before the sunimer 
was over. Morgan and Rosecrans and other officers 
of experience thought otherwise. Rosecrans, forti- 
fied by a brilliant record as an officer of engineers, 
and knowing Longstreet, Van Dorn and others of the 
South — they had been his classmates at West Point — 
received a cordial hearing from Lincoln and McClel- 
lan. His suggestions were not listened to, — Stanton 
would have none of them. 

Stanton's enmity was also increased by Rosecrans' 
letter to Halleck in 1862, mentioned previously in this 
sketch, and also by the fact that Rosecrans was cred- 
ited by the public with having "discovered" Sheridan. 

When the orders relieving Gen. Rosecrans and ap- 

46 



pointing Gen. Thomas in his place reached the army, 
they were denounced on all sides as unjust. "Gen. 
Thomas," according to Gen. Boynton, "insisted that 
he would resign rather than acquiesce in Gen. Rose- 
crans' removal by his accepting the command. It was 
at Rosecrans' earnest solicitation that he reconsidered 
this determination. But he did not hesitate to say 
that the order was cruelly unjust. When Gen. Garfield 
left for Washington soon after the battle, he imme- 
diately charged him to do all he could to have Rose- 
crans righted." 

Whether Garfield ever carried out the w^ish of 
Thomas is uncertain to this day. The probabilities 
are, that knowing Stanton's hostility to Rosecrans, he 
never made the attempt. 

Garfield at that time was a member of Congress 
from Ohio and had stood for election in his district 
by the advice of Rosecrans, who said that he (Gar- 
field), having been in the field and knowing the needs 
of the army, would be able to do much good on the 
fioor of Congress whenever war measures came before 
that body. There has always been a lurking suspicion 
that Garfield in his ambition forgot his old commander 
and how much he owed him for his own success. 




47 



CHAPTER IV. 



HIS CONVERSION TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. 




HILE a cadet at West Point Rosecrans 
obtained a few 1)ooks treating of the Cath- 
olic Church from an old Irishman, who 
was in the habit of paying periodical visits 
to the institution to sell books and papers. In com- 
pany with another cadet, now A^ery Rev. George 
Deslion, Superior of the Paulist Fathers of New York, 
he became interested" in the claims of the Church and 
it was not long until his logical mind was convinced; 
and finally, two years after his graduation, while lie 
was Assistant Professor of Engineering, in lS4i, he 
was. in his own words, "baptized sub coiuiitioiic, be- 
cause it was a vague tradition that in mv earl\' da}s 
a Protestant or Wesleyan Methodist minister at mv 
grandmother's instance had bajotized me, following 
the traditional ritual of the Church of England in so 
doing." Shortlv after liis marriage his wife also be- 
came a Catholic, and in 184() he was instrumental 
in converting his 1)rother Sylvester, who eventuallv 
1:)ecame the first Catholic Bishop of Columbus, Ohio, 
within whose diocese was located his birth [dace. 
Homer, Licking County. The brothers were mucli 
attached to each cither and their correspondence, when 
the one was at West Point and the other at Ken\on 



48 



College, Gam1)ier, (Jhio, was frequent. After the 
younger graduated, he paid his elder brother a visit, 
and as the two were taking a walk one day, they 
chaneed to pass a Catholic church; whereupon the 
voung lieutenant, to quote the words of one con- 
versant with the facts in the case, said to his brother: 
"It is high time, Sylvester, for you to put an end to 
this procrastination of yours; come in here and get 
baptized." 

Mechanically obeying the conmiand, and entering 
for the first time in his life a Catholic church, the same 
authority tells the story of the Bishop's conversion: 
"They soon reached an altar, l^efore which, to the 
young brother's surprise, shone a lighted lamp, al- 
though it was broad daylight. 'Let us pra\- here,' said 
the captain, 'in the Real Presence, for two graces, the 
grace of light to know the truth, and the grace of 
strength to follow it'; and with this he knelt down. 
Sylvester also knelt, as a matter of courtesy to his 
brother, but bv no means to pray. He gazed around 
for a while at the works of art within reacli of his 
eyes, but not being in the ha])it of kneeling long at 
any time, and his knees aching, he turned to look at 
his brother, whom he found absorbed in God. 

"The sight was too much for Sylvester. 'Wretch 
that I am,' said he to himself, 'while this trulv i^'ood 
man is so earnestly interesting himself with Heaven 
for my soul's salvation, I am indifferent, as if it were 
none of my Imsiness. God is everywhere, and there- 
fiu-e, here; 1, too, will pra\' for strength and light.' 
And he did ])ray, so long and earnestly, that when lie 

49 



began to look for. his brother, he found him in a remote 
part of the church. Up sprang Sylvester, and with 
agitated steps he approached the captain. 'Well, Syl- 
vester,' whispered the latter, 'what will you do?' 'I 
wish to be baptized,' was the prompt reply; 'I hope 
the priest is at home.' Happily the priest was at home, 
and finding his caller already, thanks to his brother's 
good offices, well instructed in Catholic teachings, he 
had no hesitation in baptizing him and receiving him 
into the Catholic fold. Many years later, wdien the 
diocese of Columbus was erected, Rt. Rev. Sylvester 
Horton Rosecrans, who had been consecrated titular 
of Pompeiopolis, in partibus, on the feast of the An- 
nunciation, 1862, and appointed Auxiliary to Arch- 
bishop Purcell, of Cincinnati, was transferred to the 
new See, and at once took possession of his vineyard." 
The following letter received by the writer some 
years ago, it need not be mentioned, is highly prized: 

Tkeasukv Department, Registek's Office. 

Dec. 11, 1886. 

Dear Father Mulhane: — Bishop Rosecrans was baptized 
"at Cold Spring on the North River opposite West Point. N. 
Y.. by the Rev. Dr. Villani, pastor of the Catholic Church 
at that place, and in charge of the station at the Post of West 
Point, in the summer of 1846. I was his godfather and my 
wife his godmother. I do not remember whether it was sub 
conditionc. 

My baptism in 1844 was sub conditionc, because it was a 
vague tradition that in my early infancy a Protestant or Wes- 
lej'an Methodist minister at my grandmother's instance had 
baptized me, following the traditional ritual of the church of 
England in so doing. Yours most truly, 

W. S. Rosecrans, 
To the Rev. L. W. Mulhane, 

Mt. Yernon, Ohio. 

50 



The great warrior's faith ahvays shone out strong 
and clear. It is told that at a most critical momen.t 
during the battle of Stone River, when Mc Cook's men 
were wavering, he dashed to the front, exposing him- 
self to the enemy's fire. A young staff officer (no 
doubt Garesche, a great favorite of our hero and a 
Catholic) who accompanied him, begged him to retire 
to a place of greater safety and not expose himself 
to almost certain death. ' Rosecrans, urging on his 
horse, replied: "Never mind me, my boy, but make 
the sign of the cross and go in." In his "Reminis- 
cences," now being published in McClure's Magazine, 
the late Charles A. Dana, assistant secretarv of war 
under Stanton, states that he saw Rosecrans making 
the sign of the cross during the awful conflict at Chick- 
amauga. 

Both his great mind and hi^ large heart were thor- 
oughly imbued with strong Catholic faith, and though 
not seeking occasion to outwardly manifest it to the 
world, it instinctively would crop out on certain occa- 
sions, sometimes when least expected. Some years 
ago, while passing through Ohio on a campaign tour 
with Hendricks, he reached Columbus one evening, 
taking rooms with his political companions at the Neil 
House. He soon excused himself from the party and 
wended his way out Broad street to the Cathedral, 
where he made inquiry for a priest, desiring to go to 
confession that he might the next morning go to Holy 
Communion for his deceased brother, the Bishop, 
whose remains rest under the altar of that church. At 
6 o'clock the next morning he attended mass anrl 

51 



received Holy Communion. As he was returning to 
the hotel, he met one of his political friends who hadl 
been looking for him and who said: "Why! Genera!,, 
where in the world have you been so early this morn- 
ing? Your friends at the hotel are anxious about you, 
that vou may not miss that early train." The old 
veteran answered: "Oh! I have been out to the 
Cathedral to pay my respects to Almighty God and 
to prav for my brother, who used to be Bishop out 
there/' The answer, from other lips, might have 
seemed trivial, but coming from him in deep voice 
and reverential tone, it was beautiful. The two who 
heard it have always remembered it, — one a Cath- 
olic, the other a non-Catholic. The words, the far- 
away look in the old hero's eyes, the reverence of the 
voice, the early morning of a beautiful wSeptember 
day, all chinied to make it an occasion that the two 
present have never forgotten. 

It was this same spirit and simplicity of faith that 
caused him to pen the telegram that he sent from Cal- 
ifornia to New York on the occasion of the death of 
his l^rilliant son, Father Louis Rosecrans, a member 
of the Paulist Order. When telegraphed of the deatli 
and asked for any wish as to the place of burial, the 
wires bore 1)ack this sweet message: "Bury him beside 
his Paulist brethren to await the greai Resurrection 
Day, and God bless all who have been kind to him." 

His sincerity also was the means of converting his 
wife. 

A newspaper correspondent describing the working 
ha1)its of the (General when getting the 14th Corps 

52 



into condition after assuming conniiand, wrote: "On 
Sundays and Wednesdays he rose early and attended 
Mass." "At night, when conversation took a relig- 
ious turn," says the same writer, "the General took 
the argument and carried it often into the realms of 
Mother Church, where the vehemence of his intellect 
and his zealous temper developed themselves thor- 
oughly. He had the Fathers of the Church at his 
tongue's end, and exhibited a familiarity with con- 
troversial theology that made him a formidable antag- 
onist to the best read, even of the clerical profession. 
He would admit no fallibility whatever in any depart- 
ment of his own Church, but he did not permit his 
strong reliance in the Church of Rome to warp his 
judgment in material things, especially in military mat- 
ters." On the morning of every important engage- 
ment, or perilous undertaking, it was his invariable 
custom to attend Mass and commit himself and his 
army to the keeping of the God of battles. 

Here is Major Bickham's description of how lie 
begun the Stone River fight, one of the most glorious 
of his victories: "A little later (than the dawn of day) 
the dauntless leader of the army knelt at the altar 
and prayed to the God of battles. High (?) Mass was 
celebrated in a little tent opposite his marquee. Rev. 
Father Cooney, the zealous chaplain of the 85th Reg- 
iment of Indiana Volunteers, ofificiated, assisted by 
Rev. Father Trecy, the constant spiritual companion 
of the General, and whose fidelity to his chief Vv^as 
second only to his devotion to the faith he preached. 
Gen. Rosecrans knelt humbly in the corner of his 

53 



tent; Garesche, no less devout, by his side; a trio of 
humble soldiers meekly knelt in front of the tent; 
groups of officers, booted and spurred for battle, with 
heads reverentially uncovered, stood outside and 
mutelv muttered their prayers. What grave anxieties, 
what exquisite emotions, what deep thoughts moved 
the hearts and minds of those pious soldiers, into whose 
keeping God and their country had delivered, not 
merely the lives of a thousand men who must die at 
last, but the vitality of a principle, the cause of self 
government and of human liberty!" 

He was averse to all needless labor on the Lord's 
day, a fact that was so well understood by his stafif, 
that Gen. Crittenden once said of his commander that 
*'he did not believe the Master would smile upon any 
unnecessary violation of His laws," Firm in his own 
faith, "he never interferes," said an eye-witness of his 
acts, "with the spiritual affairs of any subordinate, 
regarding these as sacred personal matters, to be gov- 
erned by the convictions of each individual." At 
proper time and in the proper place, though, he was 
ever ready to speak for his faith and impress its truth 
upon others. The priests in the army were his par- 
ticular friends; and Father Trecy, formerly of Hunts- 
ville, Ala., was held in special regard by him because 
of his personal worth and the fact that his loyalty to 
the Union made it necessary for him to quit the South. 
He was attending a Mass celebrated by that clergy- 
man when the news was brought to him that his pray- 
ers for his country had been answered, that the enemy 
had fled and that the important battle of Stone River 
had been won. 

54 



CHAPTER A\ 

TRIBUTES. 




X a speech at the Chickamauga dedication, Mc- 
Kinley, then Governor of Ohio, said: 

"General Rosecrans, a graduate of great dis- 
tinction at the United States ^liHtary Academy 
in 1842, and who served in the army until 1864, was the 
commander-in-chief of the Union forces and was an 
honored citizen of our own State. He entered the vol- 
unteer service as colonel of the Twenty-third Ohio 
infantry. I recall him with peculiar tenderness and 
respect. He was the first colonel of the regiment to 
which I belonged, my boyhood ideal of a great soldier; 
and I gladly pay him my tribute of love for his tender 
qualities, which endeared him to me, and the high sol- 
dierly qualities which earned for him the gratitude of 
the State for his magnificent service to the Union cause. 
Ohio is proud of him and in his old age and declining 
years I beg him to know that he enjoys the affection- 
ate regard of the old State, which will guard his fame 
forever." 

AMien the bill placing him on the retired list was 
before Congress some fourteen speeches were made 
on the occasion. I quote from a few: 

Gen. Cutcheon, of ^lichigan, said: 

"\Mien the tocsin of war was sounded. Gen. Rose- 
crans did not hesitate or falter, but he left every- 

55 



thing- behind him and laid all that he had upon the 
altar uf his country, and when we needed victory, when 
this country in its heart of hearts was aching for want 
of victory. Gen. Rosecrans, in the very beginning, in 
West Virginia, gave us victory. Again in the far South- 
west, at Tuka, he gave us victory. He was promoted 
step by step from colcMiel to brigadier-general, and 
from that t<^ major-general, and was placed at the 
head of the Army of the Cumberland, and again, in 
the closing days of December, 1862, at Stone River, 
he lighted the horizon of this whole country from edge 
to Qdge with the fires of victory. Then, following that, 
he gave us one of the most magnificent specimens of 
perfect strategy that the entire war afforded, in the 
Tullahoma campaign, when, almost without the sac- 
rifice of a life, he flanked I>ragg out of his fortified 
position at Tullahoma and carried his army across the 
mountains into the valley of Chickamauga." 

Hon. (). L. Jackson, of Pennsylvania, who served 
four years in the army of the Tennessee, said : 

*Tt was Rosecrans who commanded and directed 
the brave men at Stone River on those fearful winter 
clays when again the tide of battle was turned south- 
ward. Tt was under him IMiil Sheridan first rode at 
the head of a division, and on this bloodv field gave 
evidence of the high rank he w-as afterwards to attain. 
It was Rosecrans' skill and genius that maneuvered the 
enemy out of Chattanooga and gave the Army ot the 
Cumberland a position at Chickamauga that enabled 
him to hold at bay liragg's army, re-enforced by one 
of the best c(M-ps from the rebel armv on the Potomac. 

56 



Do not forget that it was under Rosecrans that Thomas 
stood, the Rock of Chickaniauga. 

"Mr. Speaker, there was a day in the nation's peril 
when good Abraham Lincohi thought he ought to 
send the thanks of the nation to Gen. Rosecrans 
and the officers and men of his command for their 
ofreat services in the field." 

Gen. David B. Henderson, of Iowa, who left a leg 
on the battlefield, electrified the House by his appeal 
in behalf of his old commander. In the course of his 
remarks he said: 

"As a member of the Army of the Tennessee, I fol- 
lowed both Grant and Rosecrans. I fought under 
Rosecrans at Corinth. I was with him in that battle, 
and he was the only general I ever saw closer to the 
enemy than we were who fought in the front, for in 
that great battle he dashed in front of our lines when 
the flower of Price's army was pouring death and 
destruction into our ranks. The bullets had carried 
oiT his hat, his hair was floating in the w'ind, and pro- 
tected by the God of battle, he passed along the line 
and shouted, 'Soldiers, stand by your flag and coun- 
try!' We obeyed his orders. We crushed Price's 
army, and gave the country the great triumph of the 
battle of Corinth. Gen. Rosecrans was the central, 
the leading and the victorious spirit." 

Gen. Weaver, of Iowa, served under Rosecrans, 
and said: 

'T, too, had the honor to participate in the battle 
at Corinth in 1802, and I know, and the country knows, 
that but for the magnificent strategy of Rosecrans, 



D/ 



his soldierly bearing, his wonderful grasp of and atten- 
tion to the details of that battle, the Army of the South- 
west would have been overthrown and the conse- 
quences could not have been foretold. He decoyed 
the army of Price on to the spot where he designed 
to fight the battle and the result was that he was vic- 
torious, and captured parts of sixty-nine different com- 
mands serving under Price and Van Dorn and the 
other Confederate commanders. In that important 
battle he saved the cause of the Union in the South- 
west. Rosecrans was a splendid soldier, a valuable 
officer and is now^ an honored citizen." 

Here is the manner in which he impressed the cor- 
respondent of the Ciuciiuiati Coiuuicrcial, "W. D. B.", 
who was with him in the three months' campaign 
with the old 14th Army Corps, that terminated with 
the brilliant victory of Stone River. "Industry was 
one of the most valuable qualities of Gen. Rosecrans," 
wrote this correspondent. "Labor was a constitutional 
necessity with him. And he enjoyed a fine faculty for 
the disposition of military business — a faculty which 
rapidly improved with experience. He neither spared 
himself nor his subordinates. He insisted on being 
surrounded with active, rapid workers. He iiked 
sandy fellows,' because they were 'quick and sharp/ 
He rarely found staiT officers who could endure with 
him." And no wonder! The General was the first 
officer to begin work in the morning, and the last to 
leave ofif at night, never, so this same authority states, 
retirino- before two o'clock in the morning, very often 
not until four, and sometimes not until broad daylight. 

58 



No wonder, too, that the soldiers spoke enthusiastically 
of "Rosy," as they called their commander, and ex- 
pressed to each other their confidence in him, when 
they heard him tell them that if their equipment was 
in any way deficient, they should ask for what was 
needed and keep on asking until they got it; or that 
his subordinate ofBcers were loud in his praise when 
they saw that in his official reports to headquarters 
every man who had distinguished himself in action 
was honorably mentioned and strongly recommended 
for promotion. 

One more portraiture of Gen. Rosccrans, as he 
appeared to those who were associated with him when 
he commanded the 14th Army Corps may not be out 
of place here. "He had no taste for party poHtics," 
wrote Gen. Boynton, "having dismissed that subject 
until the rebellion should be crushed — a point upon 
which he expressed no doubts. And, indeed, he had 
never been a politician. Upon the general subject of 
slavery, he held the faith that had been proclaimed 
immemorially by his Church and by all nations which 
have pretended to civilization. * * '■' Upon belles 
leftres he opened a mine of rich lore, and charmed you, 
as well by the felicity of his illustrations, as by the 
pungent and comprehensive character of his criticism. 
It was not a little amusing to the author to read in 
a leading eastern journal, that in science and literature 
Rosecrans was probably the inferior of McClellan 
and Buell. Their respective mutual classmates, and 
later associates, are sure that either of the latter might 
learn from him in each department. His general 

59 



knowledge of science is extensive. Geology and min- 
eralogy are specialties, and in those sciences he ranks 
among the most accomplished in the country." 

Let US add just one discordant note, penned by one 
who has gone to the other world. 

In Charles A. Dana's ''Reminiscences," in the Feb- 
ruary nimiber of McC lure's Magaciuc, there is a record 
of the impression Gen. Rosecrans made on Mr. Dana, 
who was with him in the Chickamauga campaign of 
1863. ]\Ir. Dana says of him: 

"While few persons exhibited more estimable social 
qualities, I have never seen a public man possessing 
talent with less administrative power, less clearness 
and steadiness in difficulty, and greater practical inca- 
pacity than Gen. Rosecrans. He had inventive fertilitv 
and knowledge, but he had no strength of will and 
no concentration of purpose. His mind scattered: 
there was no system in the use of his busy days and 
restless nights, no courage against individuals in his 
composition, and, with great love of command, he was 
a feeble commander. He was conscientious and honest, 
just as he was imperious and disputatious ; always with- 
a stray vein of caprice, and an overweening passion for 
the approbation of his personal friends and the public 
outside." 

It should be remembered that this estimate was 
made after Chickamauga; and that it is absolutely in 
contradiction of all other estimates made by those who 
liad just as much, if not more, opportunity of study- 
in.g the character of our hero. That "he was a feeble 
commander" is unjust and untrue and would be repu- 

60 



(liated by every officer and private of the grand old 
Ariiiy of the Cumberland. Dana was a civilian and. 
like many another in his day was ever readv to hastily 
criticize the warriors figditing the battles of their conn- 
try. As an offset to this opinion we need but place 
the kind words of such veterans, both of war and 
journalism, as Gen. Boynton, Col. Furav an.d Maj. 
Ihckham. 

The OJiio State Journal said: 

'■ '( )1(1 Rosy' is dead. The hero of Stone River and 
Chickamauo-a. one of the few remainino- commanders 
of the late war, has passed away. General William 
Starke Rosecrans died at his home near Los Angeles, 
Cal., yesterday morning, of the ailments consequent 
upon old age, in the 79th year of his age. 

''His war service embraced the command of the 
Army of the Mississippi, succeeding General Pope, 
the command of the Army of the Cimib»erland, with 
a campaign in West \ irginia, his brilliant success at 
Carnifex Ferry sending him West. The battles of 
Stone River and Chickamauga were fought under his 
generalship, both engagements being among the blood- 
iest of the war. There was a disposition to censure 
Rosecrans for his conduct in the latter battle, but later 
developments justified the views of his friends at the 
time, that the Union forces had accomplished much, 
though at the expense of thousands of lives. But the 
gallant Rosecrans was hurt, not only by these misrep- 
resentations, but by the venom with which he was 
pursued. His nervousness, irritability and impatience 
showed to a disadvantage, and he was relieved of liis 

61 



comniand. This practically closed his military career, 
but he did not resign until after the close of the war. 

"With the flight of time, the severest censors of 
Rosecrans are willing to admit that he was as clever 
a strategist at Chickamauga as he was at Stone River, 
even though he had a largely reinforced enemy to 
meet. He was a great favorite with his men, and the 
boys who marched with him in the awful campaigns 
will hear of his death with unfeigned regret. He was 
a splendid fighter, possessed of a fine military mind 
and ample experience, but had a nervous temperament 
that at times unfortunately tended to obscure in the 
popular mind the brightness of his achievements on 
the field." 

The following estimate of Gen. Rosecrans appeared 
in the columns of the Western Christian Advocate, a 
Methodist paper, whose editor, Dr. David H. Moore, 
was a soldier. It is entitled ''Our 'Wreath of Roses.' " 

"There died last Friday, in Los Angeles, the ablest 
tactician among the great generals of the Civil War. 
An impartial study of the history of that immortal 
contest will show that in this respect no man, on either 
side, surpassed William Starke Rosecrans. Whitelaw 
Reid styles him the American Jomini. 

"Was there ever a better planned movement than 
that which resulted in the first fight 'above the clouds,' 
where Rosecrans headed the 13th Indiana in a head- 
long charge that sent Pegram flying from Rich Moun- 
tain and Garrett from Laurel Hill? It lacked only the 
promised co-operation of McClellan to have bagged 

62 



the game so cleverly started. Was there any other 
Union officer who outgeneraled Robert E. Lee? Yet 
when that incomparable Confederate leader undertook 
to win back West Virginia from our Wreath of Roses, 
capping the summit of Cheat Mountain, he was out- 
maneuvered at every point, his Kanawha division only 
escaping capture by the failure of Benham to obey 
Rosecrans' orders. luka and Corinth added new 
laurels to this Wreath, when Price and Van Dorn 
were compelled to acknowledge his victorious prow- 
ess. Had Phil Sheridan and not McCook commanded 
the pivot at Murfreesboro, there had hardly been a 
remnant of Bragg's army left. As it was, never was 
a battle-plan more speedily and successfully changed 
in the teeth of impending disaster. 

"The chess-board of .war has not witnessed more 
brilliant moves than those by which he maneuvered 
Bragg out of Tullahoma. Opinion will forever be 
divided on Chiclramauga; but Chickamauga was 
fought for Chattanooga, and the prize was won. If 
there Rosecrans' military sun set, it bathed the heavens 
in its efifulgence. 

"Three things are alleged to have blocked his way 
to the very front: his inability to select competent 
lieutenants; his kind-hearted reluctance to remove a 
■commander whose weakness had been demonstrated; 
and his lack of tact in managing his superior officers. 
If permitted to develop his own plans, Rosecrans, in 
our judgment, would have topped the immortals. 

" 'Old Rosey,' the boys called him; and they loved 
him for his cheer and care and kindness. 

63 



"He was the Roman Catholic Howard. A devouter 
Christian there was not. We have not escaped the 
ckitches of prejudice; but all must admit that, though 
wholly a Romanist, he was Catholic in his charity 
to those from whom he differed. He believed in God 
with all his heart. 

"He was a native of Kingston Township, Delaware 
County, Ohio, and lived from September 6, 1819, to 
March 11, 1898. His paternal ancestors were from 
Amsterdam ; his Dutch patronymic meaning, 'a wreath 
of roses' — the perfume of which will sweeten Amer- 
ican historv." 




64 



CHAPTER \l. 

NOTES AND ANECDOTES. 
HIS SIMPLICITY. 




O man could have been more gentle and 
simple in his way. He carried all his honors 
and extensive learning with the modesty 
becoming a great genius. His lot was not 
always cast in the most pleasant places, and yet he 
bore his disappointments with Christian fortitude. He 
charmed every one with his delightful conversation 
and, meeting him once, you longed for another oppor- 
tunity to listen to him. He could talk entertainingly 
on all subjects and would drift along from a scientific 
discussion of the radius z'cctor in mathematics to some 
disputed point in history and then quietly drift into a 
talk about the wonderful manifestation of God's love 
for man in the sublime mystery of the Incarnation. 

HIS GENEROSITY. 

The things of the world — money, etc., — seemed 
to have no alluring interest for him, and in his last 
days of official life at Washington, as Register of the 
Treasury of the United States, his purse was ever open 
to the needy. At the close of official hours, as he left 
the Treasury Department and wended his way to his 
room at Willard's Hotel, he almost invaria1)ly was 

65 



stopped by some old veteran who appealed for assist- 
ance; and if he had no money with him, he took the 
needy one into the hotel and had the clerk advance it 
for him, until, when pay-day came around, his check 
was turned over to the hotel clerk and generallv but 
little was left to his credit. 

HIS BRAVERY. 

Sheridan, in his "Personal Memoirs," writing of 
the battle of Stone River, tells this incident: "Gen. 
Rosecrans, with a part of his staff and a few soldiers, 
rode out on the rearranged line to superintend its 
formation and encourage the men, and in the prose- 
cution of these objects moved around the front of the 
column of attack within range of the batteries that 
were shelling us so viciously. As he passed to the 
open ground on my left, I joined him. The enemv 
seeing this mounted party, turned his guns upon it, 
and his accurate aim was soon rewarded, for a solid 
shot carried away the head of Col. Garesche, the chief 
of staff, and killed or wounded two or three orderlies. 
Garesche's appalling death stunned us all, and a mo- 
mentary expression of horror spread over Rosecrans' 
face; but at such time the importance of self-control 
was vital; and he pursued his course with an appear- 
ance (?) which, however, those immediately about him 
saw was assumed, for undoubtedly he felt most deeply 
the death of his friend and trusted staff officer." 

"OLD ROSEY AND THE TROOPER." 

The following story, oft repeated, was one that "Old 
Rosey" appeared to enjoy hugely, for. as he said, it 
was at his own expense: 

The Army of the Cumberland was making a march 
in a driving rainstorm, the infantry foot deep in mud, 

66 
LofC. 



the cavalry mud-bespattered, the wagons and artillery 
frequently stalled. Several officers were riding- along 
the road when they saw a cannon almost helplessly 
imbedded in the all-pervading mud of a cornfield. At 
the suggestion of the leader they left their mounts and, 
wading over to the group working to extricate this 
implement of war, lent their assistance. The men 
were cursing the weather, the mud, the horses, the 
gun, and more particularly and with greater freedom, 
Gen. Rosecrans, who, they said, had got them into all 
the trouble. In the latter particular they were all very 
fluent, with the exception of one trooper who was 
pushing at the wheel wntli one of the officers who was 
working hardest. While the others were doing bril- 
liant work in the way of reviling the General, he re- 
mained silent. 

Finally the gun was extricated from its earthly bed, 
and the unrecognized officer departed. Then the silent 
soldier spoke: 

"Don't you know, you blame fools," he said, "that 
Gen. Rosecrans was pushing that wheel with me?" 

"LONG-LEGGED JIM." 

Another favorite yarn with Gen. Rosecrans was 
about a soldier known as "Long-legged Jim." He 
was a brave fellow but fearfully lazy. On one occa- 
sion during a long, dusty march on a hot summer 
day, towards four o'clock in the afternoon, while 
marching through a bit of timber country, Jim could 
not resist the temptation to sit down on a log and 
enjoy the shade. His captain spoke up and urged 

67 



him to come on. Jim threw down his gun and replied, 
"Cap, I'll be danged if I walk another step to-day." 
The captain, knowing Jim thoroughly, answered, "All 
right," and the company kept right on over the brow 
of a neighboring hill. \'ery soon bullets were heard 
whistling through the branches of the trees and Jim, 
grabbing his gun, started after his companions, who 
by this time had come out in the clearing, and to avoid 
the deep dust of the road were marching along close 
to a rail fence. Jim came flying by at double quick 
in the middle of the road, and as he passed by the 
captain yelled: "Say, Jim, I thought you said you 
wouldn't walk another step to-day?'' "Thunder and 
lightning! Cap., do you call this zcalkiiig?'' answered 
Jim, as he ran by at double-quick. 

"WIDOW (GLENN'S H'USE." 

This is the famous spot, where Rosecrans held his 
last council of war before the historic 20th day of 
September, 1803. Here is a description of that scene 
from the pen of Capt. W. C. Margedant: 

"Widow Glenn's log house was, like all the houses 
of that kind, provided with a large fire-place, in which 
a bright fire was burning — perhaps the only fire within 
15 scjuare miles, on account of the order given not 
to light fires on that night for any purpose. The 
remains of a candle were stuck into a reversed bayo- 
net, lighting up dimly the battle map, which was 
spread out upon a cartridge box. The fire in the large 
chimney place flared up from time to time, illuminating 
the faces of those who took part in the council of war. 

68 



"There was Major-(ieneral Rosecrans, sitting, in full 
uniform and sword, on the edge of a rustic bed frame, 
bending toward the center of the scantilv furnished 
room, listening and sometimes talking to General 
Thomas, who sat near the fire, occupying the only 
chair which had been left by the widow Glenn. There 
were other generals, commanding corps, divisions and 
brigades, some sitting on the rough-hewn barren floor, 
with their backs against the walls, w'hile others stood 
up. 

'Tt was a picture well worth painting — this the last 
council of war on the field of battle — the dim, flaripg 
light, the faces of the men who directed the battles, 
the bright metallic shine of the swords and uniforms, 
when the fire flared up in the primitive chimney. 
Sometimes, when there was a hush of silence in the 
conversation, we could hear, far in the distance in the 
enemy's lines, the arrival of trains and moving of 
troops, reinforcements, soldiers from all parts of the 
Confederacy. It was not the usual preparations of a 
Saturday night for a peaceful Sunday; nay, it was 
for the most bloody fight ever fought, September 20, 
1803. There were a few short hours' rest left after 
the hardships of the first day's battle, and during this 
last war council of the commanders, the soldiers rested 
on their arms, awaiting the break of day to renew their 
deadly conflict. 

"When the first rays of light colored the firmament 
in the East with a bright reddish hue, Gen. Garfield 
ordered the general stafY officers to mount for the 
inspection of our lines. Major-General Rosecrans led 

69 



the cavalcade. It was one of those quiet, peaceful 
Sunday mornings enjoyed only in the country or the 
woods. There was no noise. Speaking was done in 
a whisper." 

Capt. Wm. C. Margedant, formerly Topographical 
Engineer on General Rosecrans' staf¥, contributed a 
very interesting series of letters to the Hamilton, O., 
ARCH'S, from which we quote the following remin- 
iscences: 

HIS INSPECTION. 

The manner of his inspection at once engendered 
a cordiality toward him which promised happy re- 
sults. The soldiers were satisfied that their comman- 
der took an interest in their welfare — a moralizing, 
agency which no capable general of volunteers can 
safely neglect. He examined the equipments of the 
men with exacting scrutiny. No trifling nwnutiae es- 
caped him. Everything to which a soldier was en- 
titled was important. A private without a canteen 
instantly evoked a volley of searching inquiries. 
"^^'here is your canteen?" ''How did you lose it? 
when? where?" "Why don't you get another?" To 
others, "You need shoes and you a knapsack." Sol- 
diers thus addressed were apt to frankly reply, some- 
times a whole company was laughing at the novelty 
of this keen inquisition. 

"Can't get shoes," said one; "required a canteen and 
could not get it," rejoined another. "Why?" quoth 
the general. "Go to your captain and demand what 
you need. Go to him every day until you get it. 
Bore him for it. Bore him in his quarters. Bore 

70 



Pore him in bed. Bore hinr. bore 
hin. at meal-Umes. Bore h>m ,. ^^ ^^ ^, 

'--• ''^^^r^orrvo clU; let the colonels 
captains. ••^ ou bore > °«^ rt.eir division 

bore the brigadiers bgdi - ^^^^.^ ^^^^^ ^„„. 

generals; division gf ""^'^ '^^ j.„ ,ee. then, if yO'^ 
lianders, and theni bore «e. HI ^^^^^^ ,^^^^^ ^,„,, 
don't get what you want. ^^^^ ^^. ^^^^ ^^ on 
vou get everything you are ^^^^^^,^ ^^^^ ^^^^^ ^„,,, 
through an entire division^ ^^.^^ ^^^^^,^^^.^ „d 

quoth a brawny fello.. He ^ ^^^^^ ^^,^, 

L soldiers returned to the p. ,^,,, ^Ikea 

about -Rosy" jnst as those 
.vho knew and loved him. 



THE "JACKASS 



^f West \ If 2;inia ^'-^ter a' - 
Farlv in the campaign ot \ .^.o-agements oi 

balue oi Rich Mountan. -d tl. o .^. ^^^^^^ 
Philippi and Bevedy Gen ^^^^^^^ ,^^^ ^^,,^ 

the plan of f°"^"."^- ftl -in- "P the march througn 
'■lackass Battery.' In »1^" - ost daily compelled to 
^- --"'^^"^ *?b:::wa S: eolJm had to figbt 
face the enemy. The a'-l^a ^ 5 t,,e posse.-- 

it. way through the --"^^^ystnd sweep the hiUs. 
sion of the woods, clear ^^e val e>^ ^^^^^^^^ difficulties, 
Tbev moved '"-^"Vdet^nld a unique battery con- 
and General Rosecrans designed _^ ^ ^^^.. 

sisting of several hundred m . e ^^^^^ ^^^^ 

tain part of the ean"°-- ^^ „,„,, carried the 

but had a very ^vlde bore ^^^^ ^^,,,_ ,,,,. 

,vheels. the second the lafe e f ^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^ 

soon. The mountam roads were . 



onl\- affording- room for two mules. Whenever the 
army made a stop the "Mountain Howitzers" or 
*' Jackass Battery" was l^rought forward and the can- 
non quickly put together and the firing could begin. 
The confederates could not stand these shells and al- 
ways gave the right of wa}'. 

This "Jackass Battery" of General Rosecrans proved 
so effective that it was adopted through all the moun- 
tain reg-ions. The English always on the alert fo.* 
advantages, copied our custom and introduced it into 
their army. They mounted the gun on the mule, 
loaded the gun while it was on the mule, having for- 
gotten to note that the Americans placed the gun in 
pi-oper position. They lighted the fuse of the loaded 
cannon, and the mule being frio-htened at the hissing- 
sound, suddenly wheeled around until the cannon 
faced the officers, and the charge went oft'. History- 
does not relate what became of the mule. 

THE WHEELING STOGIE. 

General Rosecrans was verv fond of smokinsf cigars, 
but he was not particidar of what weed the cigar was 
made. ITis favorite cigar was a Wheeling stoggie, a 
slim, irregular twist of tobacco, which would never 
get dry, and twisted around the finger. At that time 
this brand of cigars would sell for thirtv-five cents a 
hundred. The general smoked these ciofars, which 
were actually not of Havana aroma, when he rode at 
the head of the army through the mountain regions 
ot West Virginia. 

The staff officers always tried to keep on the wind 
side of the general, so as to give the rising smoke, 

72 



which sometimes came in big puffs, all possible space 
for departure. It cannot be claimed that the general 
kept all of his treasure to himself. Cigars were at 
that time, in the mountains of A'irginia, considered 
quite as much a boon as a white paper shirt collar 
was. On the contrary, whenever an officer rode tn 
the front to make a report or to receive an order, the 
general would sink his hands into his well-filled pock- 
ets and taking therefrom a cigar he would address 
the officer as follows: "Have a cigar, sir." 

I remember that on a certain day, one of the rough 
and ready colonels of a regiment, whose name I have 
forgotten, rode up on the windy side of the general. 
As usual the first thing the general said, "colonel, 
have a cigar?" 

The colonel rose to his full height in his saddle and 
sternly looking at the general said: "General, you are 
my superior officer, but d — n your cigars," and rode 
away. The general and his staff officer looked upon 
this as quite a joke, and it was not long before this 
anecdote w^as related to and by every man in the 
ranks. 

THE (GENERAL AND THE CAPTAIN. 

When General Rosecrans rode out to review the 
troops, there was usually something- of a pleasant as 
well as instructive character going on. Upon his ap- 
pearance the welkin usually rang with the hearty 
cheers of the troops. When dressed in line the gen- 
eral occasionally passed along the front, scanning each 
man closely, noticing in an instant anything out of 
place in his dress. He always kept a sharp lookout 

73 



for his officers, holding them accountable for the con- 
duct of the men. At one review he gave a forcible 
illustration of his ideas on the subject. He noticed a 
private whose knapsack was very much awry, and 
drew him from the ranks, calling at the same time 
for his captain, who at once approached. ''Captain^ 
I am sorry to see you don't know how to strap a 
knapsack on a soldier's back." "But I didn't do it, 
general." ''Oh, you didn't? Well, hereafter you had 
better do it yourself, or see that it is done correctly by 
the private. I have nothing more to say to him. I 
shall hold you responsible sir, for the appearance of 
your men." "But I can't make them attend to these 
matters,'' said the officer. "Then, if you can't you 
had better leave the service." 

Upon another occasion, General Rosecrans noticed 
a private without a canteen, but otherwise quite neatly 
arrayed. "Ah, here's a good soldier; all right, first 
rate, with one little exception. Good cloth and good 
arms; he marches and he drills and fights and eats. 
But he don't drink. That's queer; and I fear he won't 
hold out a pinch. March all day in the heat and 
dust, yet don't want to drink water. Rather afraid 
of a break-down here. Better have the canteens, 
bo3'S, and well-filled, too." And he passed on, leav- 
ing a lesson and a smile. 



^^</(5 -Q)^"^"^' 



74 



CHAPTER VII. 

CONCLUSION. 




HE great old hero is dead, — the last of Ohio's 
grand quartet, Grant and Sherman, Sheridan 
and Rosecrans. As soldier, statesman and 
citizen, in whatever light he be regarded, the 
nobility of his character stands out, worthy of all 
praise and honor. Faith and justice, love of God and 
country were his ideals and he lived up to them to 
the last. 

"Glory, not grief, our theme to-day! 
The record of his life to sing 
Who brought to clothe our common clay 
The royal mantle of a king." 

The deeds of the hero of Rich Hill, Carnifex Ferry, 
luka, Corinth, Stone River and Chickamauga will 
always brighten the pages of our country's history: 
and his Hfe will ever stand forth in that same history 
as a bright, shining example of a loyal Catholic, whose 
eminence in the affairs of the nation did not lessen 
his faith, and whose faith did but increase and glorify 
his patriotism. Peace to his ashes, and gentle, eternal 
rest to his great soul! 



75 



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